Isaiah Simmons, Arizona Cardinals

Zach Gelb shows CBS Sports Radio back inside the Phoenix Convention Center as we continue to just move closer and closer to the big game. And this is Mayhem right now overlooking Radio Row and now joining us you want to talk about Mayhem.

That's what this guy provides on the football field from the Arizona Cardinals. Isaiah Simmons. Isaiah, good to see you. How are you? I'm good. How are you doing?

I'm doing fantastic. So this past year, I know it didn't go the way that you guys wanted it to go, but how do you kind of look back and what do you learn from this season being a part of the Arizona Cardinals? Yeah, you know, you have to learn to take the bad with the good and learn from situations that might not be the best. So, I feel like we really just learned a lot about what we want going forward. I say we as in the Cardinals, as in leaders on the team. Just basically on how we would like the foundation to be moving forward just for our team.

And I'm really excited for that to come. Especially, you know, with our new coach and what he wants to implement for the team and what he envisions for us. We had Buddha Baker on the other day and it's just like a bizarre time right now for the Cardinals. Because you don't have a new coach yet. You know Monty Ossofford is coming in as the GM. Kyler, we don't know when he's coming back for this upcoming season. There's all these rumors that DeAndre Hopkins is going to get traded. This is bizarre, right? Yeah, yeah.

It's a lot. What do you think happens with DeAndre Hopkins? Well, I think he stays. I was with him.

He didn't say nothing to me about it yesterday. Personally, I think he stays. I hope he stays. Hell of a player.

I haven't played on a team with anyone as good as him. So, I hope he stays personally. But, you know, I'm not sure. Some things happen that you do not see coming. So, I hope that I'm wrong.

I'm correct on what I'm saying. And, you know, he stays. When it comes to Kliff Kingsbury, how did you kind of process that? That's the coach that you knew. And unfortunately for him, he gets fired. Now, I know he's in Thailand somewhere.

I don't think he ever came back. But take me back to that time when you found out that Kliff was being let go. You know, believe it or not, I was driving to the facility and I saw it on Twitter.

That's how I found out. But, you know, it's the NFL. You know, you see guys that don't perform on the field and, you know, they end up being let go. So, I think, you know, just the coaches are being held accountable as well. So, you know, I almost – we won four games. So, that's rough. Like, you know, just the way things went, it kind of almost felt it coming a little bit.

But, you know, everything happens for a reason. You got KD now coming to Phoenix. How did you process that one last night? You know, I'm more of a Suns fan now. What did you root for before? I rooted for the Suns, but I'm more of a Suns fan. Gotcha.

You know, one of my good friends from back home. Now you're going to be at the game sitting court side and all that? I might have to, but I know, KD, I know you made the ticket price shoot up. So, somebody hook me up, please.

I think you could afford it. Oh, yeah, but, you know, I'd rather not. I'd rather not. What type of leader is Kyler Murray? Because there's so much made about his leadership. Yeah, you know, it's crazy because most people who have opinions on his leadership are, you know, not in our building, not on our team, or probably have never played or been in an experience where he would be your leader.

So, it's kind of hard to speak on that. But, personally, I feel as if Kyler, you know, he's just not your traditional leader, which there's nothing wrong with. He's a very much of a lead by example guy. He's vocal, but he's not, like, going to be the most talkative person in the room. And some people look at that in a negative way, I say due to his position.

But, you know, it's not always, you know, you can't, everybody can't be a certain way that you want them to be. So, the way that he chooses to lead, you know, that's something I accept. And, you know, people on the team, we appreciate him, you know, we appreciate what he does for us. And, you know, I just think he's doing nothing but growing as a player and a person.

So, there's no doubt in your mind that you could eventually win a Super Bowl one day with Kyler Murray? Yeah, I mean, you know, any play that you've seen made in the NFL, like, most spectacular plays, you know, he's fully capable of doing. Like, his big playability is, you know, maybe second to none, you know.

But I feel like he's up there with the best guys on his big playability. Wrap it up with Isaiah Simmons, I want to get back to your Clemson days because it's crazy. I feel like it was just the other day you were getting ready for the NFL draft. I remember hearing you do interviews and now you spent a few years in the league. What do you take most away from the experience at Clemson? I think my biggest thing was that Coach Sweeney was, you know, more so of a mentor than he even was a coach. You know, he, every team meeting, he would have speakers come in, guys that were in our position or maybe guys that weren't in our position, you know, that are just giving us life experiences, things that take on with us forever. He told us, he always told us, you know, we would be doing ourselves a disservice not to be writing and taking notes down from these guys. And, you know, when you're in college, you're thinking, like, I'm not trying to go to this team even and take notes, but I gave it a shot. I ain't going to say I did it every time, but I gave it a shot.

And, you know, now as an older adult, like, I've actually gone back in there and looked at things, you know, I'm like, you know, this is some good stuff right here. You know, he knew what he was talking about. So, you know, I would just say, like, the lessons, the life lessons that he tried to instill in us, they carry over to football. So it just, they go hand in hand.

You know, a lot of life lessons happen within the football world more than people would think. Do you think Clemson will get back into that playoff conversation under Coach Davos, Sweeney? So when you say get back, are you saying we fell off? Yeah. Here's why. What? When I think of Clemson, I think of getting in the college football playoff.

I haven't done that. Okay, so let me ask you something. Did Alabama fall off? Did Alabama fall off? No, they missed one year of the playoff.

Okay, that's fair, but we're only losing two games. But for, you know that in college football, you, like, for example, people go Alabama deserves to be in the playoff this year. They did not. I agree, they did.

Really? They would have been the better selection. Okay, but you have to then take care of business in the regular season. You know, that's the tough part about college football.

I also agree. You lose two games. This year, they were begging for Alabama to get back in. They were. They were begging for Clemson to get back in, too. We didn't deserve to be back in this year. At the end of the year, you guys had a chance if it wasn't for that late loss. We did.

We really did. So what I mean, fall off. No, yeah, I know what you mean. It's not that I mean Clemson stinks, Clemson sucks, trust me.

I've been dragged enough with the Clemson message boards. Just not to the standards. What you guys have done with Dabo, players like yourself, other players, have set an incredibly high standard. Absolutely. I'm not saying they're going to make the playoff every year, but the last two years.

That's the standard, though. The last two years I've been looking at it, I go, I expect more at a Clemson. Yeah, I agree. I think that, you know, I got a lot of faith in Cade. That's my dog, you know, so I think Cade's about to get things going. I love his game, you know, so I'm excited to see what he's about to do. And I was shocked that D.J.

Young-Golalay did not turn out to be this great quarterback for Clemson. You know, I'm not quite sure what happened. I still think, you know, he's a hell of a talent. You know, sometimes it can be system.

Yeah. So I'm looking forward to see what he's going to do at Oregon State because he has an incredibly strong arm. He lost weight. He's very mobile. So I'm excited to see what he can do. I don't think people should write him off, you know. You see guys that- Jalen Hurts.

Yeah, check it out. You see guys that go to a school, end up transferring, and it's for the better. So, you know, I'm hoping that's what that is for him. Because he's a great- as good of a player he is, I think he's a better- he's an even better guy off the field. I thought the biggest thing was the offensive play calling got a little bit stale. And then most importantly, it's so simple football. And I know this sounds cliché.

It's a battle of the trenches. That offensive line the last few years was not up to standard. I agree.

I agree. So, Clinton battled a lot of injuries. A lot of injuries as well. I think their whole secondary was hurt at one point.

So, tough times when that stuff happens. It kind of feels like us. We were the Cardinals. I don't think we had a game with all of our starters playing one time. Well, once again, bizarre season for Arizona. Hopkins out the first six games because of the suspension, his fault. And then at the end of the year, right when you start to get people back, Kyler unfortunately tears the ACL. You guys were never able to get into a rhythm at any point this season. Exactly. With losing Rondell Moore, Hollywood Brown dealt with injuries, lost Zach Ertz.

Like, it's tough. Were you disappointed that Sean Paden wasn't your next football coach? That was a sexy rumor. It was. It definitely was. I know you saw it.

Oh yeah, it was hard to miss. But, you know, I heard a lot of good things. One of our vets last year, he spent a lot of time with Sean.

Sean Paden in New Orleans, he played for him. So, from what I heard, I was getting kind of excited, you know, maybe. But I'm just ready to get going with whoever our new coach is.

I'm excited for this next year coming up. Seems like a few days after the Super Bowl. Maybe like the Monday or Tuesday after we'll get that breaking news. Yeah, I think it's going to be rolling in a few days after for sure. You'll probably see it. You'll be off somewhere. She'll have to rap before one of them will get it.

That's the way they don't. Maybe Glazer. You know, Glazer always throws a name in the conversation too. So, tell us what you're doing here today. Yeah, so I'm here teaming up with Legacy League. It's a premier sports NFT exchange for college athletes and universities. And basically what it is is alumni and fans can collect and support and engage with their favorite team, favorite athletes. And what made this so special for me is the Clemson All Access Pass. And what that does is give fans a behind-the-scenes look on things similar in a hard knocks way. And, you know, I feel like that's kind of the coolest thing is to see what's really going on. So, the All Access teamed up with Legacy League.

I feel like this is, you know, top of the line. Where's your game at right now? Because we all hear about how versatile you are and how athletic you are. And we got to see that a little bit more this year. But where do you tell me your game is at right now? As an add-on, saying like how close am I to my best?

Yeah. Personally, I think last year I just scratched the surface. They kind of just finally let me do a little bit of what I could really do.

So, you know, I don't really think anybody's seen anything yet. Even in college, I was really just getting used to that then. So, League's a little different animal. But, like I said, I feel like last year was really just scratching the surface. And I feel like I left a lot on the table that that's going to be mine next year.

They got to use you the right way, too. For sure. Because Arizona, Hassan Redick, was not used the right way until the last year. No, but check him out, though. And look at him now. Shouts out to Haas, yeah. Yeah, he's a great dude, too. Yeah. I'm wearing the Temple shirt today. Yes, I saw that.

I knew about Hassan Redick, but no one knew about Hassan Redick. Right? Yeah. When he walked on. It's a tremendous. Walk on. Yeah.

Mom taking out a loan so he could just get a meal plan. And then when he was a first round pick, man, that was just awesome. Right. Check him out, man. Could be Super Bowl MVP coming up on Sunday.

He could be. I know you can't bet, but I can. Yeah.

Plus 4,000. I don't need a Calvin Ridley situation happening right here. Isaiah Simmons, thanks so much. Good to see you.

Yeah, thank you. Kevin Matt talks with Matt Hardy. The biggest game of the year, the Super Bowl, is on Odyssey, and Westwood One brings it to you, streaming live for free, Sunday, February 12th, on the Odyssey app. The Eagles have been the NFC's best team. Touchdown! Travis Kelce. It's the Eagles versus the Chiefs. The Kansas City Chiefs. The Philadelphia Eagles are going to the Super Bowl.

Again. Catch all the action from Westwood One. Your Super Bowl, your Odyssey.

Get in the game and download the free Odyssey app today. The biggest game of the year, the Super Bowl, is on Odyssey, and Westwood One brings it to you, streaming live for free, Sunday, February 12th, on the Odyssey app. The Eagles have been the NFC's best team. Touchdown! Travis Kelce. It's the Eagles versus the Chiefs. The Kansas City Chiefs. The Philadelphia Eagles are going to the Super Bowl. Again. Catch all the action from Westwood One.